While I was playing this game, my roommate walked in and joked, "oh, it's just like Tomb Raider." Now a gamer with a fragile ego would have said, "no way, this is nothing like Tomb Raider, don't you get it you idiot?" as my other roommate said. But really, that's what this game is. It's Tomb Raider. Or rather, it's what Tomb Raider could have been if its developers had bothered to focus on presentation, story and gameplay instead of just focusing on Lara's twin assets. If you go by this game's premise alone, it doesn't sound particularly innovative. You explore a castle... like every other platformer out there. You rescue a girl... where have I seen this before? Wait, you have to guide her to safety... like the Mudokans in Oddworld? There is no one thing about this game that sets it apart from every other game ever made, but rather the whole product, as an experience, is just so incredibly perfect that I can't help but give it perfect marks. This isn't to say that there aren't absolutely astounding things in the graphics and sound departments; according to a friend who's an A/V nut, this game takes full advantage of the NTSC standard. If your TV is calibrated the slightest bit off, there will be parts where it is either too bright or too dark. I'm also told that the digital audio is fantastic. I wouldn't know, since I don't own a fancy surround sound setup. I do, however, have a pair of decent computer speakers, and this game produced some of the best sound ever to come out of them. I've heard reviewers complain that there's no replay value. Well, if you're expecting some strange new unlocked world that you get for beating it, or a time attack mode or something like that, then no, there's nothing. But like a great novel, it doesn't matter that there's nothing new the second time you pick it up. You'll play it again, just because you're thinking, "you know, it's been a while since I last played Ico." It has replay value in that the experience is one that you want to come back to. There actually are some really neat gameplay ideas here. One of them is the idea that no matter what you do, it is impossible to make this game unsolvable. The only way to die is either to fall too far or to let the monsters get the girl. You will never be forced to "retry" a level or restart the game from the very beginning. The puzzles are all challenging, without being stupid. Like the best action/puzzle games, it rides a thin line between fascination and frustration. You may find yourself frustrated at the game, but I doubt you will ever reach the point of throwing your controller across the room. I don't know if I'd call this the greatest game ever made. It's certainly a game the likes of which only comes out once every couple of years. Nobody can tell you how good this game is and still do it justice. Certainly I can't. If you still aren't sure, just go out and rent it. Chances are you'll want to buy it after the first few minutes of gameplay.
Forbidding battlements rise above a stark ravine. The stillness of the surrounding forest is broken by the sound of approaching hooves. A group of horsemen appears, masked and silent, carrying with them a struggling youn... Read Full Review
GRAPHICS For visuals of this vintage from a game released in 2001 they really standup and don't seem all that old. The art direction is absolutely fantastic and that definitely helps the game's look stand up to the tes... Read Full Review
